All-Star From Courtney Pope - "the View From Backstage At The Naccc..."

[mstealtoyou]

There are many parents at CAC and CEA that know each other well. Kids have gone to CEA for opportunities that CAC can't provide. We have kids that return for their own personal reasons. Many of us are close friends and we discuss our gym's philosophies quite often. Here are a few points I'd like to make.

• Many kids CAC with full/double skills go to CEA. In addition many other gyms in NC lose kids to CEA because of opportunites they can't provide. This is s business and CEA can provide a service that others cannot. However most know in NC that if CEA loses Youth 5 then they lose a huge opportunity to attract elite youth talent. CEA is not the only gym that can teach proper tumbling but they are the only one that has 5(?) locations, 800 athletes, and a lot of smaller sized well-coached gyms within a 3 hour drive to Kenersville to pull 36 Elite kids from. CEA is far from the only gym in NC that can teach "proper" tumbling. Again, this is not explained as a fault but as an opportunity that CEA has been able to wisely use to their advantage.
• The campaign here in NC to "Save Youth 5" is crazy right now. Emails and text messaged are flying back and forth about how WC is trying to ruin Youth Elite. Invitations were everywhere inviting anyone(from any gym) that cares about the division to come on by and be a part of a video to "Save Youth 5". The joke in the state right now is "Do they ask our kids to throw their best tumbling pass when you go also?"
• Junior aged parents are now being warned that if Youth 5 is eliminated then the junior flyers will be coming out of the air to make room for the youthies. Stage 2 hysteria began.
• A last minute effort was made to take Youth Elite to Jamfest to prove that Y5 isn't dead by having 3 teams there. Last I heard the parents didn't want to do it. Go figure...a costly last minute trip to Indy from NC in the middle of an already hectic Nationals season.
• Courtney knows how to work the cheer system like no other. I am constantly amazed at what she comes up with and I have no doubt she'd do anything for her kids.

I mention all these things NOT because they are wrong. It's actually very smart business, This is what CEA needs to do to save the division and one of the doors they use to attract new talent. However, to have Courtney call out the industry for manipulation and behind the scenes tactics is kind of like the pot calling the kettle black isn't it?


Maybe WC started this. Maybe they are scared of competing against CEA. I don't personally believe it but that's worth about as much as my opinion on the rest of it. Last I heard though, every member gets a vote and I highly doubt that even Elaine's powers of pursuasion can convince every coach in the USASF to vote against Youth 5 if they didn't already feel it was the right thing to do.

Just wanted to say that the Jr age thing isn't true. And our Youth going was my idea, blame me. I texted the team and took a vote and many said they didn't want to go. So we aren't. There are other things I don't agree with but this isn't the forum to address that. Just didn't want Court taking the heat for something I did.

 

[kristenthegreat]

Side note: I thought CEA had both a small jcoed 5 and a small j5? That's why I said they wouldn't have anywhere to go..

 

[mstealtoyou]

Side note: I thought CEA had both a small jcoed 5 and a small j5? That's why I said they wouldn't have anywhere to go..

Yes we do, in other cities.

 

[xtremeteal4life]

Anyone have a link to the save youth 5 video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp4IYEW2s_w

 

[SharkDad]

Here is a Youth 5 from the Raleigh gym: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRi6vWoBe7Q

 

[ztaprincess]

If that many doubles on youth elite are already on a junior 5 team then what exactly is the problem with restricting the division? How exactly is that hurting the athletes? I mean those athletes with doubles are already getting to compete their doubles on another team. It just means that those on youth elite who only have a full will get to shine even more in a routine that only allows that has the highest skill.

I keep reading posts about eliminating the division, but honestly from watching the webcast and reading posts on here 95% of the people who have voiced their opinions are for restricting not eliminating.

 

[SharkDad]

MsTeal said that the doubles on Youth Elite besides 2 are on Juniors, but remember that the rest of the team is there to continue to work on their doubles or more advanced fulls throughout the year and compete them. Many do. If you watch the videos, many of the kids may start with layouts and end up with fulls or have fulls and end up with combo fulls or maybe doubles by the end of the year. It's tough to imitate that level of drive or motivation other than for the kids to know that if they prefect it, they may be able to throw it in competition. Restricting the division would take that away.

These kids would motivate anyone. They are used to not having competition, but are no less proud to know they are part of something very special at such a young age.

 

[Drkilluzionz]

MsTeal said that the doubles on Youth Elite besides 2 are on Juniors, but remember that the rest of the team is there to continue to work on their doubles or more advanced fulls throughout the year and compete them. Many do. If you watch the videos, many of the kids may start with layouts and end up with fulls or have fulls and end up with combo fulls or maybe doubles by the end of the year. It's tough to imitate that level of drive or motivation other than for the kids to know that if they prefect it, they may be able to throw it in competition. Restricting the division would take that away.

These kids would motivate anyone. They are used to not having competition, but are no less proud to know they are part of something very special at such a young age.

I don't know about that...I see Senior Open 5 kids throughout the country striving to perfect their skills out of just wanting to be the best they can or in hopes of being on a World's eligible or non-restrictive team the following season.

 

[xtremeteal4life]

I forgot to mention the video I posted was from the Kernersville location

 

[CrownedtheGR8est]

Absolutely. And I think the fact that there are far more youth 4 teams than youth 5 teams illustrates that gym owners by and large think that level 4 is the appropriate "max" level for youth teams.

But as I said elsewhere, if there are teams with kids this young that can perform these skills competently and safely, then I don't see why they shouldn't be able to. I haven't heard a convincing argument otherwise.



I said in another thread that I'm glad there isn't a mini 4 because my cp would want to do that. I couldn't imagine what she'd say if she found out there was a mini 5 team somewhere.

hah

 

[Num1Stunta]

How can you make such an argument. As a parent I think our children's safety should be taken into account just as much as the bottom line of a Gym, if not more. As a coach and owner and a parent I would think you would have to agree. You as every other owner put your bottom line first. You have to, If you can not make ends meet than there will be no program. Your Program Does Not have an off season, if you did you would lose income. Your program encourages cross overs, agin it is a business model and choice that works for you, and you have argued for it, but it also can be argued is not a safe one for young athletes.

I have made my point on Double teaming and I feel that same arguments can be made in support of this potential rule change.

A young athletes body is not developed to with stand the continues repetitive twisting motion that this sport initials. Young or old the human body needs cross training and core strengthening. This sport/industries is not set up to provide that. I have not seen one gym unless they practice in a gymnastics center where cross training is utilized.

We have no season, it goes 12 months a year. There is no off time for these kids to rest and get healthy. Ask any Orthopedic or Trainer in any sport, the body needs time off to recover and get stronger. EVERY MAJOR SPORT has an off season. For the simple fact that the athletes need the time to rest. In Little League and Base Ball they have pitch counts for the pitchers so the kids and athletes do not blow out the arm. The young kids in this sport, they are pounding there legs, knees, ankles and lower backs over and over again. Even horses are not run year round!

Look at all of the Braces that are on a floor during a comp or in the gyms. Yes we as parents as well as Coaches have to take a stand some times. It is a proven fact that it is not healthy for the body. We are starting our childern out much earlier than ever before and are asking them to perform at a World Class Level sooner. I know I want my daughter to be able to walk down the isle when she gets married. I want to be able to dance with her on her wedding day. I have seen to many injuries that have left kids almost crippled where they are in pain to get out of bed in the morning and they are not even in college let alone out of college yet.

My daughter spent 12 to 16 hrs a week in the gym working on her skills, 2 stress fractures on her ankle later it was her Orthopedic that was shocked that there is no regulations on the sport for training, progression and repetition as well as an off season.

A competitive gymnast uses cross training. They do not work on the same skill over and over. They will be working on core and then will be allowed to do 2 maybe 3 passes of the skill and than move on to another set of core exercises and repeat the process for a different element. They must perfect that skill and as important the technique before they can advance to another. They have a progression they must follow, a 6 year old is limited to what can be done. There is an off season.

I have yet to see a cheer team utilize core and cross training or progression on a regular basis. It has only been the past several years that Cheerleading has developed to a year round sport. The human body no matter the age can not take the punishment. There needs to be time off for the body to recover no matter your age. We need to set rules of progression to keep our sport strong.


The health of the child athlete should be protected by parents and coaches alike, as well as the NACC, USASF and its Member Gyms. There will still be a place for these kids to compete. There will always be a place for the Highly Skilled Talented Child to compete, Those few are the minority however and will allow the majority to progress and be in the proper division as the progress.

I see no harm that will come from this possible rule change. If it protects a child from injury, forces progression as well as helping the bottom line, How is that so bad? As a Coach and a Parent I would hope you felt the same.

"Save the Cheerleader"

Yeah, I think this is dead-on.... my college cheer season was just a summer workout, running, spinning, rowing, jumps, and conditioning... when we had pre-camp week in Aug, that was the first time we had tumbled or stunted since May. There was a 2 hr a day gym session with running and lifting, sometimes pool conditioning too. We tumbled 3 practices a week, and practiced only 4 days a week until Jan. Then, our heavy schedule started with morning and evening practices, etc. Our gym workouts were reduced though. I was in the best shape of my life, and the injuries on our team were due to improper progressions, rather than over-training.

I have been trying to implement the cross-training idea for some time now. I'm certainly going to push for it this year!

 

[MissBee]

Why does our industry have to be like so many others? Why does there have to be all of this "behind-the-scenes" stuff? Isn't there already enough drama between gyms? Why does this fire have to be fueled?

If you think that there aren't "behind the scenes politics" in every other youth sport out there, you're wrong. Each and every little league has it, right up to national governing bodies like USA Gymnastics or US Swimming. Even the IOC is riddled with politicking.

 

[ACEDAD]

If you think that there aren't "behind the scenes politics" in every other youth sport out there, you're wrong. Each and every little league has it, right up to national governing bodies like USA Gymnastics or US Swimming. Even the IOC is riddled with politicking.

There are behind the scenes politics in everything. Thank God, I'm on the inside.

 

[omgitssydthekid]

Start a fire, and watch it burn...

 

[StarshipTrooper]

There are behind the scenes politics in everything. Thank God, I'm on the inside.

Yep. Not being on the inside myself, but knowing pretty much what this is all about and having been around other examples with the same players before, it is interesting to watch the effect a forum like this has on the proceedings. None of this would have ever been heard a few short years ago.